Stand and Walk
by Ariaeris
Summary: For Platerair Queen: Dancing alone is never as rewarding as it is with a partner. Hector/Ninian, mentions of others.
1. Dance not for Me

Hello everyone who stumbled on to this new piece of fanfiction!

My name is Ariaeris, and I will be your host for the evening.

Today's special includes the first portion of a Hector/Ninian fic, requested by the lovely Ms. Platerair Queen. She requested as part of my offer in my other fic, "A Moment of Mercy," and I have delivered - or at least I have begun to deliver.

As you may notice as you begin your meal, this fic comes with a side of Lloyd/Eliwood. Now, I know this side dish might be a bit experimentational, but I would heartily suggest that you take it for a taste test. It is my own personal recipe; in fact, you might even grow to like it! If so, I am preparing it as a main dish over in the piece entitled "A Moment of Mercy," which you can find on my profile.

In any case, enjoy your meal, and hopefully you'll leave a generous tip for you waiter.

Bon Appétit!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own anything in conjunction with Fire Emblem. I am most certainly not making a profit off of this work, save that for knowing that somewhere out there, someone might find this fic a little bit enjoyable.

**Warnings:** Some mature material, a little bit of OOC-ness (explained at least), some sad feelings, but no bashing whatsoever - no one is going to be intentionally bashed in this fic. Also, more café puns are on the way. They're too much fun to stop!

**Pairings:** Hector/Ninian (main), Lloyd/Eliwood (side), Ninian/Eliwood (one-sided), Hector/Eliwood (one-sided), and some peeks at some others.

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_**Stand and Walk**_

_Chapter 1: Dance not for Me, but for Yourself_

_I would not know what the spirit of a philosopher might wish more to be than a good dancer._

_-Friedrich Nietzsche_

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Ninian laughed as Eliwood made another light joke, her smile brightening as she thought of the day they had spent together. There had been an abrupt lull in the constant, never-ending fighting, and Mark had let the army off for the day, allowing the tired soldiers to let loose for the first time in weeks. The army had not been slow to accept the gift, and they had parted with farewells to wander around the large town they had landed in.

She had not meant to meet Eliwood during her journeys, but when she had been admiring a crystal necklace that one of the merchants in the main plaza had been selling, Eliwood had come up behind her and bought it for her. She had been surprised and had said she would pay the noble back, but Eliwood merely laughed off her repayments and declared that it had been a gift for her, and that it looked beautiful on her.

The two had left the plaza with soft whispers of young love from the merchants they left behind, and Ninian's heart lightened at the words. Truly, if even strangers could recognize the bond between them, then maybe, maybe if she hoped and prayed and loved hard enough, Eliwood might deem her worthy of his notice.

Ninian shook her head with a rueful smile, her light blue-green hair falling around her shoulders. That had been almost two weeks ago, and nothing had changed. Eliwood still treated her like a friend, a close and dear one at that, but it was the love she still hoped it would some day be.

"Ninian? Did you hear me?" Eliwood asked concernedly, standing in front of her. The dancer's eyes widened; when had they stopped walking? "I suppose that is a no," Eliwood chuckled faintly.

"I'm sorry, my lord," Ninian stuttered, clasping her hands in front of her chest. God, how was she supposed to win his affections if she kept acting like such a dolt?

"It's fine, Ninian," Eliwood smiled softly, though his brow was furrowed slightly. "If I could ask you a favor, would you please stop being so critical of yourself? It hurts us; it hurts me, when we see you thinking of yourself so harshly."

"My lord," Ninian murmured, her soft green eyes locking with concerned blue.

"I have told you more than once, Ninian, you look beautiful, even more so than you normally do, when you smile," Eliwood said, his sapphire eyes lighting up in a manner that took her breath away. "So please, smile. Your smile, your dances, everything about you is a balm for the army, and none of us can stand to see you upset."

Possessed with an odd strength at his words, Ninian stood up straight, staring directly into those eyes she loved so much. "Eliwood," the addressed lord's eyebrow rose at the dropped honorific, but he did not interrupt. "I have something very -"

"Eliwood!" A low voice rang out, startling her into silence as she watched the vaguely familiar man approach them. A quick inhale at her side drew her attention, and she was startled to see Eliwood practically glowing at the sight of the other man. His soft smile had widened and those eyes that had sparkled so affectionately for her were overcome with a blazing rush of passion.

Ninian felt her heart drop into her stomach as a sense of dread began to creep upon her. No…

"Lloyd!" Eliwood exclaimed, and Ninian unconsciously winced. Had he ever addressed her, addressed anyone, in such a fond manner? Her heart quickened and she felt as if she were about to cry for a moment. Maybe she was reading too much into things, her frantic mind wondered as it grasped for straws so that she would not have to face reality.

No. As Lloyd drew ever closer, anyone who wished to could see the pure devotion shining from his gold eyes. A foreign feeling clenched her heart, and Ninian mused detachedly over when she had learned to hate.

Lloyd nodded politely at her before stealing Eliwood's attention away from her. Her heart clenched once more, and though Eliwood made attempts to invite her to join their conversation, Ninian was well aware that, once again, she was an outsider.

Eliwood was smiling at her again (trickster, seducer! her heart cried and then cried once more as she realized how fickle she was being – had she lost faith in the man she loved already?) and even Lloyd was looking a bit amused. Ninian reached up to grasp her throat, whether to stem her sobs or the litany of accusations that begged to be hurled at the two she did not know.

"You were in another world once more, Ninian," Eliwood chuckled (it sounded so hollow now, even though she knew that nothing had changed - and maybe that was the worst part) the light playing off his eyes, the damnable things. Ninian could tell that Lloyd was just as ensorcelled as she was. "Lloyd and I are going to meet with Legault in that tavern over there," Eliwood said, pointing to the building across the street. "Would you like to join us?"

"…No, my lord," Ninian murmured, her eyes gazing steadily at the ground, unable to look at him any longer. She refused to humiliate herself any further by crying in his presence.

"If you are sure…" Eliwood trailed off, watching Ninian curiously until Lloyd gently grabbed his shoulder, drawing his attention back to him. Cautious gold eyes met her own as she risked a glance at the pair, and a small part of her felt a vindictive sense of pride that he recognized her as a threat.

"As you wish then." Well-hidden coldness greeted her, and Ninian was surprised at Lloyd's sudden shift in tone. He had seemed like a fairly nice man until now (save for the whole unnecessary grabbing of Eliwood), strong and reliable. Why would he act so rude then?

Their eyes darted simultaneously over to Eliwood. She understood. He had something protect, something to covet, with Eliwood. She wondered if what she felt was something along the lines of heartbreak.

"We will see you later!" Eliwood said brightly, and she flinched away from it. She had lost – that light was not her own; never had been in fact. So she shaded her eyes and mumbled out a farewell and let Lloyd win the contest she had never even been a contender in.

Lost in her thoughts, she was startled by a sudden voice. "He's a heartbreaker, isn't he?"

Ninian whirled around to face the man who had spoken so near to her. "Oh, Lord Hector, it is merely you," she sighed in relief.

"Come here," Hector ordered, leading her over to a bench away from prying yes with surprising gentleness.

"Lord Hector?" Ninian asked, confused as they sat beside each other.

"I'm not good at this comforting thing," Hector admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "But for you, I'll try. After all, it's not every day you get your heart broken."

"Lord Hector!" Ninian exclaimed, scandalized. "I have no -"

"Save it, Ninian," Hector interrupted with an impish grin. "Everyone could tell you were head-over heels for Eliwood and, no offense to you, that was a pretty clear 'sorry, but no' back there."

"So you saw," Ninian mumbled.

"Yeah," Hector said awkwardly.

"I just…I just don't understand what I did wrong. We were getting along so well, and he was calling me beautiful, and I thought that maybe…I was stupid to think that he could -"

"You are not stupid at all!" Hector exclaimed furiously. "And this is not your fault at all! Eliwood is like that with everyone." Ninian's eyes widened in shock, and Hector backtracked quickly. "That's not what I meant at all! It's just…"

Hector sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "How can I explain this? Eliwood is just…one of those people you fall in love with. He's kind and respectful, strong but not war crazy like a lot of other people in this army," Hector blushed at that admission, and Ninian chuckled weakly. "He's smart, and a great friend, and so _beautiful_ and not just in body, but in spirit as well, and…you can't help it. He grows on you, and it is too easily just tumble off the edge into love.

"He doesn't realize he does it either; it's not innocence or naiveté or anything like that. Eliwood just doesn't notice how loveable, for lack of a better word, he is. So he goes around treating everyone like they're the best and most beautiful person in the world, and then leaves them with a broken heart once they realize that he is just treating them like a friend while they're ready to sign away their lives for him."

Ninian stared at Hector in shock, and the blue-haired lord blushed slightly under her scrutiny. "Sorry about the rant."

"It is fine," Ninian said, wringing her hands in her lap. "Your…rant; do you have personal experience with Eliwood like that?"

Hector smiled sadly.

"But, just because Eliwood does not love one of us now does not meant that he could not be able to," Ninian argued, though something rang hollow in her words. "So -"

"It's useless," Hector said dispassionately, and Ninian was shocked to see the normally indefatigable lord seems so….defeated.

"Why would you say that?" Ninian asked angrily. "Why would you give up so easily?"

"I've spent years as Hector, sparring buddy, best friend, brother," Hector replied, and there was that same tiredness that rankled Ninian's nerves that colored his voice. He sounded so old as he spoke, and Ninian was taken aback by his words. "And in all that time, I have never seen him look at someone like how he looked at that man. So I will settle for what I have; even if he never returns my love, I am content with what I have now."

Ninian had been through a lot in the past few weeks between Nergal being all around the worst person in the world, pining over Eliwood endlessly, and finally being rejected for another man, but Hector's words were the final straw. "Content? Who would want to be _content_? I want to be _happy_! And if you would settle for something less than everything, if you would not risk everything in order to win the heart of the one you love, then you are a coward in my eyes!"

"_I'm_ a coward!?" Hector roared, leaping to his feet. "Yeah, I'm the one who stood beside Eliwood blushing and stuttering all day long. I'm the one who speaks of my love with awe and tragedy with each breath, casting myself as the main character in my own shitty little personal melodrama. And of course, I'm the one who let him go off with another man because I couldn't work up the courage to tell him how I truly felt! So, Ninian, who is the true coward here?"

Overcome with her newfound fury and pain, Ninian shot off the bench they had been sitting on and punched Hector straight in the face. The lord fell back with a pained cry, and Ninian fled, clutching her injured hand to her chest as she finally let herself begin to cry.

She was such a coward.

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Welcome back! Did you enjoy your meal?

The maitre d' would like me to remind you that while Café Ari serves fics for free, a generous tip of a review is always appreciated. The various workers here all adore your reviews, and they spur us on to create the best works we can.

Also, I would like to remind you that the specials should be updated soon, and the next chapter of "Stand and Walk," as well as chapter three of "A Moment of Mercy" will most likely be up soon. Also, depending on the shifts this week, a new item to the menu might appear as well!

Until you're next visit, this is your host signing off.

Thanks for reading!

Ariaeris~


	2. A Crescendo

Chef Ariaeris would like to mention that the Forensic Science course that was applied for was accepted. Ariaeris is a very happy writer right now, and has decided to bless the fanfiction world by updating this fic.

Surprise! It wasn't abandoned after all! No, Ariaeris does not abandon fics; they are just put on small hiatuses so that focus can be put on other things like school, studying, and writing for the much more receptive Harry Potter fandom.

Still, the Chef has promised to see this update until its finale and has already promised six other recipes as well. Two of those requests are in the works right now, but we here at Café Ari are determined to make every one of these crackish pairing requests to be as fleshed out and well-crafted as possible.

So, not only are there the Lloyd/Eliwood main dish and this Hector/Ninian side dish, but a Lyn/Ninian entrée and a Tibarn/Ike/Haar dessert in the works as well. So sit tight faithful epicureans and enjoy our world-class new items!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own anything in conjunction with Fire Emblem. I am most certainly not making a profit off of this work, save that for knowing that somewhere out there, someone might find this fic a little bit enjoyable.

Warnings: Some mature material, a little bit of OOC-ness (explained at least), some sad feelings, but no bashing whatsoever - no one is going to be intentionally bashed in this fic. Also, more café puns are on the way. They're too much fun to stop!

Pairings: Hector/Ninian (main), Lloyd/Eliwood (side), Ninian/Eliwood (one-sided), Hector/Eliwood (one-sided), and some peeks at some others.

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_**Stand and Walk**_

_Chapter 2: A Crescendo_

_Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane._

_- H. P. Lovecraft_

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"Fuck!" Hector swore as he grabbed his throbbing chin, glancing around quickly to see where Ninian had run off to. The dancer had a surprisingly strong punch, and his jaw was still throbbing painfully and he was a little dazed as well. He spat, and small droplets of blood landed on the ground; a very strong punch them.

He needed to find Ninian; he had taken his pain out on the innocent dancer, and he felt ashamed of his actions. Ninian was not the cause of his anger; truth be told, neither Eliwood nor…Lloyd (the name still caused him to hesitate; it felt like he was accepting Lloyd into his life every time he said his name) was either. No, his anger and pain was focused inwards, the only target being himself. It was his fault that he had not won over Eliwood's heart (he had been reticent, and unwilling, and far, far too late, and Ninian had identified him right from the start - everything she had said had been true) and now it was his fault that Ninian was in pain, both physically and emotionally.

Needless to say, he felt like a giant bastard.

Hector ambled off in the direction he though he saw Ninian run off in, unknowingly going in the exact opposite way she went.

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Ninian ran as fast as she could, her tears drying in the wind that whipped around her as she sprinted through the army's latest resting ground. A few people called out to her in concern, but she ignored them, continuing her endless running. She didn't even know what she was running from; Hector? Eliwood? The future she had lost?

Her mind was all jumbled and so she ran, hoping to escape whatever incomprehensible darkness lingered behind her, nipping at her heels.

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"What did you think of Ninian?" Eliwood asked suddenly, interrupting one of Lloyd's rare full conversations. He knew the elder man was a little wary of talking, though by no means antisocial, and his sudden question caught both him and his companion by surprise.

"Ninian?" Lloyd asked quietly, his mind all ready running over all of the people he had been introduced to in the last few days.

"The dancer we were just talking to, back in front of the tavern where we were supposed to meet Legault."

"Ah," Lloyd sighed in recognition, his face stony. Her. "She seemed nice enough," he said, his mind supplying more…brusque ways with which to describe her. He knew he was being overly judgmental; Ninian had not done anything wrong to him or crossed him in any way, but she was still a threat. Lloyd was not a man willing to attach himself to many things (growing up with the Black Fang had quickly disabused himself of such a notion, and no matter how much he loved his de facto family, he had learned of loss far too young to ever forgive them), and when he did, he guarded them jealously, unwilling to let them leave with the precious shard of his heart he had dared to give them. Linus, Nino, and now, surprisingly, Eliwood; he would never let them go, not if he had the choice, and most certainly not to a woman who was vying for the heart of the man he wanted for himself.

"She has always been an important member of our army; she and her brother, Nils, have a precognitive sense for danger, which has saved our lives many a time," Eliwood said idly, his mind going over the past weeks they had all spent together. It seemed like so much longer, but in those few weeks he had met friends, people he considered family, and even…

"You said she was a dancer?" Lloyd asked, and Eliwood nodded. "How can she be that much of a use to an army then?" The blond swordsman asked, not maliciously but curiously.

"Her dances are…magical, I suppose. Rejuvenating at the least, supernatural at best. When she dances, sometimes we find the energy that we thought long abandoned us which allows us to move once more, cast one more spell, and take one more swing at the enemy. Other times we can feel her magic, guiding us in ways that enhance us; increase our power, make us luckier, that sort of thing," Eliwood answered, and Lloyd raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his description of her. No wonder why the Black Fang wanted her so badly.

"She always seems so unhappy though," Eliwood frowned, and Lloyd felt a sudden urge to comfort him in some way. The blond swore inwardly at his body, demanding that it not send him anymore new feelings, or at least not until he examined the ones he had already been presented with. Somehow, he knew his body was laughing at him. "I thought she had been doing better recently, she had been smiling more and everything, but today her mood took a spiral downwards. I just…don't understand what I did wrong."

"What you did wrong?" Lloyd asked, stopping. Eliwood continued a few steps more before realizing that his companion had stopped. The redhead turned, watching the dirty-blond haired man curiously. "Why do you think you did anything wrong?"

"Well," Eliwood bit his lip, glancing away from Lloyd nervously. "I noticed that whenever I was around Ninian, she always seemed happier. So I decided to spend more time with her, complimenting her and buying her some trinkets that I saw made her smile. And it was working too! She was looking happier than I had ever seen her!" Eliwood frowned, and Lloyd felt the same pang as before. "But now she seemed so upset when we left; I just hope I haven't done something to ruin our friendship."

Lloyd watched the red-haired lord incredulously before shaking his head. Surely the lord could not be serious. Still, he didn't see why Eliwood lie to him (if Eliwood was capable of lying at all) and so Lloyd kept his mouth shut, letting Eliwood choose the next topic of their conversation.

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Ninian hated running; no, she abhorred it. It was a symbol of cowardice in her eyes. And yet she always found herself running; running from the Black Fang, from Nergal, from the past, the present, the malleable future which she alternatively cherished and hated.

Then again, she was just a coward; running should be second nature to her.

Her blood ran white hot in her veins and she gasped as her body begged her to leave this realm that was slowly killing her, to abandon the friends she had made (they would betray her anyway, in the end, once they found out what she and Nils truly were) and flee back to their mountain. Every breath she released, every step she took, every though that her frantic mind processed was begging, screaming for her to leave; to get away from the never ending pain this group of heroes always brought her.

She cried harder; when had her heart decided to rebel against her mind, when had she willingly decided to accept this pain instead of fight against it? It must have been over a year ago when she had first saw Eliwood, first been carried to safety (an evanescent feeling; soon she was running once more, but for the first time she had wanted to meet someone on her path). When she had first felt the stirrings of a love that seem to eat away at her heart and destroy her spirit.

Eventually the frail human guise she had taken as her own tired and she was forced to stop her running. She panted heavily as she leaned forward, resting her hands on her bent knees. She felt like she had just survived another battle, had given another performance on a blood-soaked lea, her every instinct singing disgustedly at the carnage that humans had brought upon themselves; it was a sort of divine vengeance some sibilant voice whispered in the dark corners of her consciousness.

She wondered if anyone would chase after her. She had so cruelly brushed off those who had hailed her, but she had been unable to face them in the state she had been in. In the state she still was in, she chuckled wetly, wiping furiously at her still-crying eyes. Another weakness; she had never cried as a dragon.

Then again, she had never felt this heart-wrenching sense of love and destruction and overwhelming _feeling_ as a dragon either.

Perhaps Florina, the young girl who had done what none other could and had soothed her restless soul with her friendship, would come find her and regale her with another story about her childhood? The shy Pegasus knight had always entertained her and given her hope for a brighter future. Or maybe Hawkeye, who had known her true nature from the very beginning and treated her as if she was just another normal human being, as someone unique but in a good way? Lyndis, Nils, Eliwood?

…Hector?

No one came though; she had run so far that she had left everything behind.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Night was falling and the temperature with it. Her thin dress would not be able to protect her against the elements, and being naturally cold-blooded, she would inevitably…

Not even for a second did the thought of just lying down, just giving up at life, cross her mind. Instead, she threw her head back, her hair flying madly in the wind, and screamed to the heavens. Screamed until her throat was raw, until she stopped crying, until she felt like herself once more, roaring in cadence with her family to the eternal sky they cherished upon the mountaintop that had nearly touched the heavens.

Her tears dried on her face, hardening her skin, as she began her walk back to the army's camp.

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Poor Ninian…torn up, confused, and far too out of her league. We here at Café Ari salute the poor girl for deciding to take a stand against the world, which apparently likes to screw her over in this fic.

In honor of her, we are serving our Piña Middle-Finger-to-the-World-attas; the price for one is only a single review! What a bargain, what a steal! Your own (imaginary) drink for the low, low price of less than two minutes of your time!

We'd also like to remind you that there is a special going on at A Moment of Mercy, where there are three flavors just waiting to be claimed! Read the new chapter, review, and send in a pairing you want written; your request will be taken and whipped up into a delicious feast of an oneshot; who knows, that oneshot promised to you might even evolve into something larger, like this fic!

So read, review, and enjoy!

Ariaeris~


	3. A Resolution

Ariaeris is a very, very happy little chef. Why, you ask? Because almost all of my school textbooks have been bought and I am ready for _the_ most fun year of high school ever. With courses like Forensic Science, Psychology, Government, and Precalculus honors (…that last one was a joke), Senior year will be a blast. Well, except for the college applications/acceptances/rejections and other not-fun stuff.

But that is beside the point! The true point is that I have this chapter ready for all you wonderful readers out here on fanfiction dot net! I can almost hear your ecstatic cheers and wondrous applause!

Let's here if for Ariaeris, master of slipped schedules and crappy updates!

…Whoo. The excitement in here is _stifling_.

In any case, enjoy the chapter, which I promise has sixty percent less sarcasm in it.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own anything in conjunction with Fire Emblem. I am most certainly not making a profit off of this work, save that for knowing that somewhere out there, someone might find this fic a little bit enjoyable.

Warnings: Some mature material, a little bit of OOC-ness (explained at least), some sad feelings, but no bashing whatsoever - no one is going to be intentionally bashed in this fic. Also, more café puns are on the way. They're too much fun to stop (though I am running out...)!

Pairings: Hector/Ninian (main), Lloyd/Eliwood (side), Ninian/Eliwood (one-sided), Hector/Eliwood (one-sided), and some peeks at some others.

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_**Stand and Walk**_

_Chapter 3: A Resolution_

_The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word._

_- Mata Hari_

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It was a long walk back to camp. A cold, harsh, unforgiving walk, and Ninian laughed the entire way back, carelessly, brazenly mocking the universe which seemed to take pleasure in her pain. Constantly throwing happiness in her face, only to drag it away as soon as she reached for it.

She would not give the world the satisfaction it craved. She, frail, weak, fragile Ninian, unable to fight, always needing to be protected, would take a stand against everyone who beat her down.

Many would have called her weak; physically weak, emotionally weak…she was not a fighter like Lyn, ambitious like Farina, loyal like Florina, persevering like Louise. She just…was.

Ninian. Dancer; dragon. That was her identity, her existence.

And she was fine with that. Fine with who she was, even if she couldn't wield a mortal weapon, even if she refused to fight as one of the dreaded dragons. Even if she felt such…pitifully human emotions, she was fine with that.

Because she chose to. Chose to dance, chose to feel, chose to live. She was still choosing to live. Everywhere around her lay the temptation for surrender. Back when she learned what Nergal had done, what he had was continuing to do. When she had been captured, with Nils and Lord Elbert (such a strong, compassionate man. When she had reunited with Eliwood she had though she had seen a flicker of Elbert in him. She had been wrong; Eliwood was just as amazing of a man as Elbert was, even then). When she had lost her memory and her brother…

She had lived. Lived through it all, the wounds on her heart scabbing and scarring over, only making her stronger in the end.

She would do the same now; even this heartbreak would only aid her in the end. Even if now she could only feel her heart being torn in two with every moment and every step, she would eventually heal. She would become stronger, colder, a little more jaded, but she would live in the end.

That was what she did; she lived.

Cold and tired as she was, Ninian barely noticed when she stumbled past the first few tents of the army. She could hear, faintly, the soft sounds of snoring echoing from the tents, and she stopped by each and every one to check on its inhabitants.

They were all like her; struggling, fighting, surviving for another unsure day. Through wounds of both the body and heart they fought on, all for a tomorrow that might be worse than today.

But that was what they were fighting _against_, was it not? They were fighting for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow undaunted by the shadow of its would-be destroyer. Still…

That ability to fight, the tenacity to never give in even when defeat seemed inevitable; that was a very human trait. Ninian could not exactly say she could understand it. That fearsome drive towards victory had been what sent the dragons of old fleeing. After all, even the great legends state that _humbled, dragons vanished from the realm_.

"Ninian?"

The dragons had been defeated, not destroyed. They could have continued the Scouring, fought the humans to their very last breath, and maybe victory would have been theirs and they could have celebrated on a burning world soaked with the blood of the fallen human race.

In the face of human will though, even the mighty dragons fled in fear, fled to a realm where they would not have to face their once peaceful co-inhabitants ever again.

"Ninian!"

Maybe, just maybe, she knew a bit about will…after all, she was, even now, fighting ever onward. Onward to a future where, once more, humans would seal away the once-mighty dragons from Elibe.

"What's wrong with her?! She won't -"

What was wrong with her? Why was she fighting for _that_ future? Had she been tamed, somehow, without her knowing of it? The alternate seemed so odd; that she could have decided on her own to hand over the rich land of Elibe to humans.

And yet, the latter option must be true. She had no desire for warfare, for bloodshed like so many other dragons did. Following the Scouring, they had always held at least some enmity towards humans, some less than others, but who would not despise those who had forced them to leave their home?

"She so cold! Quick, get -"

As odd as it seemed, here in Elibe, the land once ravaged by her defeated ancestor's war, she felt most at peace. Peace in a place constantly divided by conflict and war, where power-hungry nobles trampled over the beat-down poor. Peace where lawlessness was normative; she could empathize with Lyn there, with her disgust for bandits and those who would take advantage of the weak and powerless.

Yet, even still, she felt at peace. Not that she hadn't felt at peace in her home; she had, but this was a different sort of peace. No more desirable than the other and yet…

"Come on, Ninian; we were worried about you. Lucius and Serra will be here soon, and Priscilla has already started healing you. You have a nasty case of frostbite, but they are sure you'll be alright. You just have to stay awake, okay? Ninian, did you hear me?"

Who? Ninian tilted her head, hissing in pain all the while (everything was starting to hurt, almost like the time she had been hit by a fimbulvetr spell), to look at who had spoken. The voice sounded familiar, and yet there was a worried current through the speech that seemed out of place.

Blue eyes were all she could make out, but she smiled weakly anyway.

Eliwood, then. Brave, loyal Eliwood, and her foolish heart skipped a beat instinctively. Of course he would be here, the love of her life; wasn't the prince always supposed to be there for the princess in pain? Even if he didn't love her, those eyes still shone in concern and blazing, all too human will.

Those eyes held a promise in them, a promise she felt compelled to accept. It spoke of life and love and happiness, all for her, if only she would…

"You have to stay with me, Ninian. Do you understand?"

That was it? That was all that was needed for her to find the happiness that so long eluded her? To accept those words…

She nodded silently. She would trust in him once more.

"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "Ah! Eliwood! Do you have Lucius?"

"I do," another voice said, also sounding worried, and Ninian's rapidly slowing mind registered confusion. She needed to hibernate, her body automatically reacting to the cold surrounding her. "As soon as he heard Ninian's condition, he rushed off to grab a recover staff. He will be here in a second."

"That's a relief," the first-Eliwood said. "Did you hear that – Ninian! Ninian, don't fall asleep! You have to stay awake or we might not be able to wake you up again!"

The man who was shouting to her leaned over her, and Ninian's dimming eyesight was consumed by short blue hair, thin pink lips begging her to return to consciousness, and loving, frightened blue eyes.

Ah. Hector.

What a…

Slumber.

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Ninian...why do I keep hurting you?

This chapter was a bit shorter than the others, mainly because I decided to cut a scene between Eliwood and Hector right after Ninian fell asleep. It both seemed a little out of place in a Ninian focused chapter and it would have pushed the release date back even farther, so I decided to nix it. After all, it has been a month since the last chapter (sorry!), so I decided to kick myself into high gear to get this chapter out there.

As for A Moment of Mercy, chapter six should be up before the end of the week (tomorrow hopefully), with a shiny Rath/Wil omake ready for all your reading pleasures. Considering that you all seem to be huge Rath/Wil fans, I am expecting it to go over well.

One more thing before I go back to the drawing board. A close friend of mine and a huge source of inspiration for AMoM, Sol Hiryu, recently posted a three chaptered Zelgius/Ike fic here on this website. And it is _glorious_. I would like any of you who want to read a quality work of art filled with emotion, intelligence, and hot sex to check it out - you won't be disappointed.

That's all folks; I could spend an entire paragraph's worth of time advertising the new Naruto fic I posted or the Tibarn/Ike oneshot I churned out, or I could spend time on saying how awesome Platerair Queen's and Kai the Tiger Princess' fics are, and maybe even if I had the time, I could throw out a few plugs to anyone interested in the Harry Potter fandom to check out vairetwilight's and Mariel Nightstalker's works, but I won't. I mean, that would just be a waste of time, and I wouldn't want to bother you all with such random advertisements.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

Ariaeris~


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